Postecoglou and Celtic have ex-Ibrox man questioning the future; power of Hampden triumph

By Hamish Carton

March 2, 2023

Sunday’s League Cup final win was mainly about Celtic lifting another trophy, but there was an added incentive too.

Part of the reason why we all felt so nervous ahead of the Hampden clash was that we knew how important it was to stop our rivals in their tracks.

Rangers are not in a particularly good place, but 13 wins in 14 games under Michael Beale had convinced many of their supporters that they could match the champions.

Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

We all had a feeling that victory at Hampden could have our rivals questioning everything again, and so it has proven.

Take ex-Rangers goalkeeper Cammy Bell for example, who questioned how many of the Rangers team from Sunday were good enough to challenge Celtic in the future.

Speaking on Wednesday night’s Clyde Superscoreboard, he said: “In that starting team from Sunday, I wouldn’t expect there to be more than four players still in the starting team next season.

“I look at Allan McGregor, he is probably going to finish. James Tavernier will still be in the starting XI, and Connor Goldson. Ben Davies I don’t think so, and Borna Barisic, there is always questions marks in big occasions for him, so that is a big question mark.

“Tillman, is he going to be there? I don’t know. Lundstram, I don’t think he would be a starting player for a Rangers team that is going to win the league. Same with Kamara.

“Morelos, we don’t know what is happening with him. Fashion Sakala, again, not a starter for me. Ryan Kent, I would keep him as a starter if we could.”

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Of course, none of the above is our issue. We have a squad in a brilliant state, with no reliance on loan signings.

We have a young, vibrant group of players and an immense manager in Ange Postecoglou.

But it’s lovely to know that they’re questioning everything across the city. We weren’t hearing too much of that this time last week.

Postecoglou and Celtic have piled the pressure on them, and made their fans question everything.

That is the power of the Hampden victory.

In other news, Mikey Johnston has opted to play for Ireland and could make a rapid international debut

Hamish Carton
Hamish Carton is a sports media professional with more than eight years of experience in the industry. Previously a football reporter for the Press Association, Hamish joined 67 Hail Hail to cover his beloved Celtic FC, the team he has supported all of his life. He is the face of the website’s YouTube channel and is responsible for planning, presenting and editing videos on the channel. He writes occasionally on the website and, just like Patrick, he is so in love with Ange Postecoglou that he's even written a book about his journey at Celtic.

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